I have very little knowledge of the pit bull breeding scene and I am sure that it is great. I do know however that you can get a pit bull from just about any rescue center in the country. If someone wants a pit bull then they should rescue one.

We rescued our dog from the Kalamazoo Animal Rescue program. We were not looking for any particular dog that day we just went to the pet store looking for information on finding a dog. It just so happened that on that day they were showing rescued dogs out in the front of the pet store. There were three pitbull puppies. We picked one, filled out some forms, and met with the dogs at our home a few days later. We shelled out a measly $150 and we had Sierra.

She lives with Parker a 10 year old and Gracie a 6 year old. Sierra loves all of us and vice versa. We socialize her with people and other animals as much as possible. She has not had any sign of aggression except towards squirrels. Luckily no one likes squirrels.

No squirrel was injured in the making of this picture. Except the dead one I guess.

Check my rescue page for information regarding pet adoption. I have included the Kalamazoo Animal Rescue that we acquired our dog from. They worked really well for us.

In this day and age there is no more controversial dog to own than a pit bull.There is a huge commitment that you must make if you are going to become a Pit Bull owner. This is in no way the breeds fault. This situation comes from the mistreatment of Pit bulls, dog fighting, and medias demagoguery. However an owner must deal with mass society’s opinions about the bread.

There is always a risk of involving our dog in some unforeseen conflict where we (regardless of the circumstances) will be held responsible. If an untrained and mistreated Golden Retriever would attack my Pit bull I have to be prepared to be looked at as the guilty party. And that is not only because my dog would kick that dog’s ass (sorry). We have to train our dogs to behave better than the average dog breed’s owner. We have to have our dog’s leashed in public places regardless of the little snotty unleashed pug that would not stop running up to my dog and licking her in an uncouth fashion.

If you think, like I did, that you can just get a pit bull terrier without people judging you, then you will find, like I did, that people really come out of the woodwork to express their opinions about the breed. I had a lady with a huge black lab with a broken leg stop dead in her tracks as I walked my 5 month old Sierra towards her. “We don’t like pit bulls” she said and walked the other way. I held back our opinion that we did not like handicapped dogs.

Pit bull knowledge is certainly not all bad. A lot of people love pit bulls and rightly so. They are ridiculously loving and smart and anyone that I know that has owned a pit bull loves the breed. The stigma around pit bulls makes me feel safe letting my girl take walks withthe dog after dark. Another plus is that thugs talk to me when I pass them in a dimly lit park.

You really have to take responsibility for a powerful breed that can have devastating affects on people and animals. Pit bulls must have proper socialization. The more your pit bull encounters strange people and animals the more comfortable they will be around them. A self confident dog is much safer than a fearful dog. We try to let Sierra introduce herself to any willing person or other dog whenever possible. There is a tendency towards dog aggression with these breeds and awareness of this is crucial.

Supervision is also advised emphatically by pit bull experts. It is advised to never leave your APBT alone with small children no matter how confident you are with their personality. All precautions should also be taken when your dog is outside unleashed regardless if they are in an enclosed area. They are persistent escape artists and when they get it in their mind to accomplish something they can go through great measures to do so.

The Kalamazoo Humane Society is having their 25th anniversary Dog Walk at Prairie View Park in Vicksburg. The event is put together to raise money for the humane society by pledging money for participants in the dog walk. There are a lot of cool activities at the park to enjoy also including the Skyhoundz Hyperflite Disc Competition and a classic K9 show.

The event is at Prairie View Park on May 2. Click here for directions. Participants may walk the course anytime between 9:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. If you have not signed a waiver or are a non-registered guest, you must check in at the registration tent.

Join me and everyone else that loves dogs at the event. Responsible Pit Bull owners especially should make an appearance to combat the bad reputation of the breed that we have to listen to just about every time we walk our dogs in public.

Cesar Millan is the most well known dog behaviourist in the country today. He is beloved by millions and revered as the Dr. Phil of the dog world. There is however a large amount of dog enthusiasts and experts that believe that Cesar’s dog training techniques are out of date and inhumane. I really enjoy Cesar’s show “The Dog Whisperer” and have seen him do amazing things with dogs time and time again. I have also came across a lot of people and articles that slam the dog whisperer and believe he is hurting the progress that dog behavior has made over the last fifty years.

Pros

Cesar is great with dogs. He has a natural ability that he established watching dogs work for his grandfather at their farm in Mexico.

The techniques used by Millan quickly establish behavior needed from problem dogs.

Millions of people are more attuned to the relationship between dog and owner because of Cesar’s television show The Dog Whisperer.

Exercise is always one of the first aspects of the owner/pet relationship that is examined. Under exercised pets is a surefire way to create problem behaviors.

Cesar helps give the pit bull much needed positive exposure to the public.

Cons

Dog experts and studies have discovered that positive-based training is a more reliable and humane way to train dogs

Training a dog as a pack leader will only create the desired effects when you are with your dog. The possibility of unwanted behaviors occurring when the dogs are without you is higher.

A lot of the training techniques used on the show can be dangerous for amateurs let alone professionals

Cesar Millan is the most widely known dog trainer right now. His show on the National Geographic channel has given him the center stage in the public opinion of dog training and obedience.

Cesar Millan with his pit bull Baby on the right

Now don’t get mad at me but their are a lot of professional dog training experts that are not Cesar Millan fans. “Some of the (Dog Whisperer) tactics are, quite frankly, inhumane and inappropriate,” says Marie Belew Wheatley the president of the American Humane Association. She also requested that the National Geographic Channel should replace The Dog Whisperer with programming that presents more current positive techniques.

A great way to enjoy the outdoors as well as get your dog some of their required exercise is to go hiking with your dog. I discovered a good place to check out the basics of hiking with your dog is k9trailblazers.org. There are lots of trails that you can access easily in your area by going to hikewithyourdog.com.

There is a lot of great gear for taking your dog on natural excursions. Some really good dog packs can be found on the Wolf Packs website. A quality pack will be worth the cost when you are out in the woods.

The media continues to attack the American Pit Bull Terrier with misleading stories and profiling that should ensure their chances for upcoming affirmative action type retributions.

The biggest falsity in the media’s portrayal of the APBT is the generalization of the term Pit Bull. A vast amount of stories involving dog attacks are incorrectly called Pit Bulls. There has been stories that were discovered to have been reported falsely yet there was no retribution for the misleading newscast.